Registry shows high number of sex offenders on Jacksonville campuses of FSCJ

Derek Gilliam

Tuesday

Nov 26, 2013 at 5:59 PM

They are convicted of sex crimes that range from rape of a 12-year-old to possession of child pornography.

All 82 are students enrolled in Jacksonville colleges, 51 of them at one of the many campuses for Florida State College at Jacksonville. Some are enrolled on a FSCJ campus that includes a day-care center, charter school and high school students taking college classes.

RELATED: Database of all registered area sex offenders

In October the Florida Department of Law Enforcement added a feature to its sex-offender registry that allows a user to search for offenders enrolled at institutions of higher education.

FDLE records show Jacksonville has the most student sex offenders in the state with Florida State College at Jacksonville topping the list for an individual college. The college's Cabinet will examine in December if there are any changes to the admissions process that should be made, Provost and Vice President Judith Bilsky said.

LIST OF JACKSONVILLE SEX OFFENDER ENROLLED IN COLLEGES AS OF 2013-14 FALL TERM

Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida don't have any sex offenders. Out of the 529 on Florida college campuses, 35 are at state universities.

FSCJ officials said the college is one of 28 open-access colleges in the state. Open-access means there are no set requirements besides a high school diploma or its equivalent to enroll in classes. Other programs, such as adult high school and post-secondary education, don't require a high school diploma.

By law the college is tasked with educating anyone who would be a benefit to the community. However, the college also is bound by law to provide a safe environment.

"We try to balance those two things," Bilsky said.

One thing the college doesn't do is bar students based on past criminal history. Unless the Department of Law Enforcement or a student's probation officer notifies the college of past criminal activity, the college doesn't know because it doesn't ask.

The college's application for enrollment doesn't ask if a student has ever been convicted of a felony, as some other universities do, and the college doesn't complete background checks on students.

With a little more than 18,500 new students during the 2013-2014 fall term, completing a background check on each one would be costly - about $60 for every student.

In fact, the college has never barred a student based on past criminal history or sex offender status, said Peter Biegel, associate vice president of student success and enrollment management.

But that could change after a recent study on the matter was completed by the college's lawyers.

SAFETY AN ISSUE

The report, first presented to the college's Cabinet early in November, notes that FSCJ doesn't have a policy regarding past criminal history of students including sex offenders. It recommends the college adopt some type of policy in the first few paragraphs.

"The current process may not adequately protect, or sufficiently notify, the college community," the 43-page report said.

There are three policy options that college campuses across the state implement - admit all sex offenders, a partial ban or a complete ban.

FSCJ's lawyers recommend moving away from admitting all sex offenders. They also recommend providing more notification to students about sex offenders on campus.

The college meets federal requirements to provide notice of the sex offender registry, but the report questions whether the college should follow St. Petersburg College and Pensacola State College.

"These colleges post the name of every student that is registered as a sex offender, along with a direct hyperlink to the individual's profile on the FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] website," the report said.

While FSCJ doesn't post the name of every sex offender on its website, security officers on each of its campuses are notified by authorities when a sex offender enrolls.

At the downtown campus, security officers meet with each offender to advise them where they can and can't be on campus. The downtown campus has a day-care center and a charter school that they're not permitted near.

Other campuses check schedules to ensure that registered offenders are not in classes with early college or dual-enrollment students who might be minors.

In at least the last three years, there has not been any sex crimes reported at Florida State College at Jacksonville, according to the college.

The Cabinet are expected to discuss adopting a new policy at meeting in December.

OTHER COLLEGES

John Yancy, associate vice president of enrollment services for the University of North Florida, said UNF does ask potential students about their past criminal activity. When someone self-discloses a past conviction, Yancy said he or she is removed from the admissions process and a hearing is held before the university's Judicial Hold Committee.

He said that committee will determine if the student's past criminal activity poses a "clear and present danger" to the safety of other students and faculty.

"It is about a look at an individual and making a decision based on all the facts," Yancy said.

The University of Florida has a similar process, officials there said.

OFFENDERS UNAWARE

The Florida Times-Union attempted to contact about 15 sex offenders enrolled at Duval colleges. None agreed to an on-the-record interview. However, four shared their views on the new feature to the sex-offender registry.

All four did not know about it. When told how it works and what it does, three of the offenders said the information was already available to the public and the new twist would not hinder them anymore than previously.

One said she would never attend college because the new registry would make it easy for men to target and harass her.

Three said they aren't actively taking classes there.

STUDENT LEADERS REACT

Student government leaders at FSCJ's Downtown Campus said the university registry was a good thing but differed in their opinions about how to handle admission of sex offenders and felons.

Student government president Joanna Darilus, 19, said she didn't know that any sex offenders were enrolled, but she has never felt unsafe on campus. She said the administration has done a good job with providing security for students, but she would like to see the college thoroughly check students with criminal histories.

"Since they don't ask at all, they should try to apply that more in the application process," she said.

Student vice president Raymond Smith, 27, said he thinks the university registry is enough for students to protect themselves. He questioned whether barring felons and sex offenders from college is the right thing to do.

"I'm not saying you don't watch them, because if you do a heinous crime there's no telling if you would do it again," he said. "But if you want that person to make a change, then you have to give them a door to open to make that change."

Derek Gilliam: (904) 359-4619

University Offender Listings by The Florida Times-Union

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Stay Connected

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Florida Times-Union ~ 1 Riverside Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32202 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service